Dress For Pageant Success
Written By Audrey Powell
What you choose to wear in pageant interview can either help or hurt your score so it is important to choose your outfit wisely. Besides, you have (hopefully) done all the work to prepare by reading the book, so now it is time to look fabulous for your pageant interview! All of the information in this post is expounding off of the book, Pageant Interviewing Success Made Easy
Starting from the bottom up:
Shoes- your shoes should complement your outfit. Preferably heels, they should be trendy and easy to walk in (you don’t want to trip as you walk into your interview!). If you have a busy outfit, opt for simpler shoes and vice versa.
Suit- Unless your pageant requires a suit, I would go for a dress. Suits seem very outdated for interview these days. Same with skirt and blouse combos. It can be pulled off, but a dress, in my opinion, is not only safer but also a better look.
Dress- Pick something you LOVE! This will make a world of a difference in how you portray yourself to the judges. For example, I have a super light pink (almost looks white) Jennifer Lopez dress with a perfect silver accent belt. I wear this with peach shoes and jewelry. Every time I put on this dress, I know it means business. Why? When I wear my interview dress, I feel fresh. I feel physically clean, mentally clear, and emotionally open to answer questions. Find a dress that does that for you! And just like with every other phase of the competition, make sure the color and size fits you. I would also avoid wearing black. Choose a color that is going to pop, stand out, and help the judges remember who you are in interview. As for length, it should be age appropriate and fitting for the system you are in. More conservative pageants call for longer hem lines as well as a younger age group or older one.
Jewelry- speaking from personal experience, when I wear rings or bracelets, I fiddle with them. This means that I am never going to allow myself to wear a ring or bracelet in interview. But that is okay because it also means that I get to wear over the top, chunky, glamorous necklaces. Your jewelry should complement your outfit and not be distracting from you or what you have to say.
Makeup- keep makeup light. The makeup you wear in interview should be more like what you wear every day. Do not go too dark or dramatic on eye shadow, bronzer, nor lipstick. Keep things light and fresh.
Hair- Whatever you do, just make sure you do not have hair in your face- no one wants to be distracted by that. Whether you wear your hair down, up, straight, curly, etc. keep in simple and let it complement your face shape.
For additional tips, read Pageant Interviewing Success: Optimizing Your Outfit
Have we sensed a theme yet? Let every part of your look complement another aspect of your pageant interview appearance for the day. And lastly, someone once told me that when you walk into interview, the judges are picturing what you will look like when you make appearances as a titleholder. So…dress for the job. Take a deep breath. And walk into the interview room like you already won.